Field study on the foraging characteristics of a ponerine ant,Hagensia havilandi Forel

Summary A field study of the foraging strategy used by the ponerine ant,Hagensia havilandi is reported. They have permanent nests in the leaf litter of coastal forests.H. havilandi is a diurnal forager and collects a variety of live and dead arthropods. These predatory ants exhibit individual foraging with no cooperation in the search for or retrieval of food items. Three colonies were observed and showed similar temporal and spatial foraging patterns. The paths of individual ants were followed and the results showed that the foragers exhibit area fidelity, and return to the nest via a direct route on finding on prey item. Several foragers did not return to the nest at dusk but returned the following morning. Occasionally a limited amount of tandem recruitment was displayed.     

Predicting mean and variance of all possible lines and hybrids from designs with partially inbred progenies

Two-factor mating designs at consecutive S_n and S_(n+1) levels (S₀ and S₁ S₁ and S₂, or F₂ and F₃) allow estimation of all components of the variation among homozygous lines and F₁ hybrids that can be derived from a given population. They also allow for the prediction of the mean of these lines and single-cross hybrids. Some tests for the presence of epistasis are possible at the levels of means and of variances. Such mating designs can be very useful for predicting the value of the best possible lines or the best possible F₁ hybrids when it is difficult to produce, at an experimental level for exploratory purposes, either lines or hybrids.     

Growth, sex determination and reproduction of Dryopteris filix-mas (L.) Schott gametophytes under varying nutritional conditions

KORPELAINEN, H., 1994. Growth, sex determination and reproduction of Dryopteris filix-mas (L.) Schott gametophytes under varying nutritional conditions. Gametophyte isolates originating from two populations of Dryopteris filix-mas (L.) Schott were grown in culture media containing different amounts of nutrients. Both nutrition and source population significantly affected gametophyte growth, sex, reproduction and mortality. Taking into account the most optimal nutritional condition for the selfing of gametophytes originating from individual source sporophytes, the proportions of hermaphrodites reproducing by intragametophytic selfing in the two populations varied from 33 to 96% and from 54 to 100%, respectively. It is emphasized that when examining the amount of genetic load only hermaphrodites, not all individuals, should be included, and genetic load should be estimated from the growth experiments where the intensity of reproduction is at the maximum. It was detected that hermaphroditic gametophytes are considerably larger than males or asexuals. It follows that gametophyte size is decisive in sex determination. It is suggested that the effect of antheridiogen hormones, which is considered to be an important factor in gametophyte sex determination, is indirect. Antheridiogens would actually affect size, and size would influence sex expression. The ecology of fern mating systems, and the different genetic and nongenetic factors which promote intergametophytic matings are discussed.     

Genetic structure and mating system in the palila, an endangered Hawaiian honeycreeper, as assessed by DNA fingerprinting

We conducted DNA fingerprinting analyses to ascertain the mating system and population genetic structure of the palila, an endangered Hawaiian honeycreeper, which occupies a fragmented range on the Mauna Kea volcano of the island of Hawai'i. DNA fingerprinting of twelve complete families from the Pu'u La'au population revealed no evidence of extrapair fertilization or intraspecific brood parasitism. Band-sharing coefficients from fingerprints produced with two probes revealed that the large Pu'u La'au population on the southwest slope of Mauna Kea, and a smaller, geographically separate population on the east slope (at Kanakaleonui) had relatively high and virtually identical levels of minisatellite variability (mean S of 0.27 for each population based on combined data of M13 and Jeffreys 33.15 probes). The two populations also had nearly identical allele frequencies based on their mean corrected similarity, S_ij, of 0.98. These data suggest that the two populations have not been fragmented long and/or have sufficient current gene flow to ameliorate any affects of genetic drift. We conclude that present levels of inbreeding are low within both populations, and that proposed translocations of individuals from Pu'u La'au to Kanakaleonui appear appropriate from a genetic standpoint.     

棉蚜性蚜的研究

调查了棉蚜性蚜的种群动态,对性母、性雄、性雌内外生殖系统进行了研究、观察、解剖与描述,并对性雌产卵习性、产卵量以及交配习性进行了研究。讨论了性蚜产生的生态条件及性雄、性雌性别决定先后次序和来源问题。     

麦蛾的求偶行为与区分等级的方法

求偶行为是麦蛾的本能,主要由自身生理状态决定,雌蛾全是自发行为,雄蛾多是对异性信息刺激的反应。两性求偶行为都有固定发生程序,有明显的阶段性。本文按其阶段程序特点把两性求偶行为各分为3等9级。非求偶行为概作0等0级。等级数值大小反映了性兴奋强度,统计分析级别数值,就能确定个体或蛾群求偶行为的动态。     

Mating behavior and thermoregulation of the reindeer warble fly,Hypoderma tarandi L. (Diptera: Oestridae)

Hypoderma (=Oedemagena) tarandi L. (Diptera: Oestridae) is characterized by a mating strategy in which both sexes meet and mate at two types of distinct topographical landmarks. In the expansive, treeless vidda (= tundra-like) biome, mating places are unique, rocky areas located along rivers and streams or in rocky areas of drying river and stream beds. In wooded valleys below the vidda, flies mated at certain topographical areas along dirt road tracks/paths. Thermoregulatory activities of males occupying perches at mating places included selection of substratum at perch site, orientation of body to sun's rays, crouching, stilting, and flights into upper cooler air. On warm sunny days males perched for just 1–2 min before flying up into cooler air to promote cooling. Laboratory and field studies revealed that flies could not metabolically cool down when held at 25–38°C. Time spent at mating places depended on temperature, duration of sunshine, and wind velocity. Males were very aggressive in pursuing allHypoderma-sized objects that passed by them or that landed near them, but they did not defend specific perch sites. Males either pursued and caught females in flight, or they hopped onto females that landed near them. During 5 years, 74 males and 14 females were seen at mating places. Dissection of six females caught at mating places revealed them to be recently eclosed flies full of fat body and with all eggs intact; two not paired with males were non-inseminated. Three experimentally paired females remainedin copulo for 10, 13, and 19.5 min.     

Male emergence timing and mating success in the funnel-web spider,Agelena limbata (Araneae: Agelenidae)

Field observations on the relationship between male mating success and emergence timing in the funnel-web spider,Agelena limbata, were conducted.Agelena limbata is an annual species and adult males appear slightly earlier than adult females in July. As males deposit a copulatory plug at the female epigynum after copulation, copulation with virgin females is important to males. The number of copulations in males with virgin females, which strongly correlates with the longevity of males and the number of females that males courted, did not correlate with the emergence timing of males. Early emerged males and females were significantly larger in size than later ones, but the correlation coefficient between the emerged date and the cephalothorax width was not strong. Males that emerged earlier did not have any advantage in copulating with larger and more fecund females. Furthermore, virgin females first copulated on average 7.9 days after their final molt and the mortality rate of adult males increased after the final molt. These factors may favor the smaller degree of protandry in male emergence timing inA. limbata.     

Correlation between spermathecal morphology and mating systems in spiders

This study tested predictions regarding male mating preferences which were based on some aspects of female reproductive morphology which may influence sperm precedence patterns in six species of spiders. Males of two species, whose 'conduit' spermathecal design has been associated in previous studies with first male sperm precedence, showed the predicted preference for associating with immature females about to moult to maturity rather than mature females. Those of a third species, however, associated indiscriminately with mature and penultimate instar females. As predicted, males of three other species with 'cul-de-sac' spermathecal morphology did not associate preferentially with immature females. Immature females were avoided in two of the species, but not in the third. One of the species with cul-de-sac spermathecae showed, as predicted, lack of a strong first male advantage in sperm precedence. These data give only limited confirmation of the predictions.     

Mating and diapause in hibernating adults ofMenida scotti puton (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae)

InMenida scotti aduts which mate during hibernation, we examined the effect of photoperiod on diapause induction in terms of the developmental degree of reproductive organs and corpora allata. In a hibernating population, mating season and physiological changes related to dipause were investigated. When newly emerged adults were reared under long- or short-day conditions, reservoir of the ectodermal accessory gland and corpora allata in males developed, while the developments of ovary and corpora allata in females were suppressed under both conditions. This suggests that diapause of this species is induced only in females independently photoperiodic conditions during adult stage. In a hibernating population, mating was observed from early to late November and from late March to early May. Observations of the development of reproductive organs and corpora allata suggest that diapause is induced only in females in the former period, while both sexes are not in diapause in the latter period.